All rights reserved (About Us). In the years leading up to its closure, many of the rides were sold to satisfy debts. To tell you the truth I remember the boat rides to the park more than the park itself. They transformed the island into an amusement park, including a coaster, Ferris wheel, fun house and more. Well I would say as a resident (who by the way is not a mega millionaire), that we dont mind having company on the island and share it with those who want to come out. And a Fairyland park on the ocean in OR, etc. If anyone has Meade Gougeon's cell number, seriously, call him. Few physical reminders remain from the amusement park, which closed in 1993, but the island has had a surprising resurgence - as a quiet but thriving residential community. Barb's Boblo Tavern. The marina on the west side of Boblo Island. Plants and overgrown grass fill the dirt paths near the Space Needle. My favorite ride was the Log Ride, I thought it was the greatest thing of all time. Although the name will seem new to most of us, it's actually the original historic name of the island that was home to the historic . . Barely visible remains of the park. For more than a century, Bob-Lo Island had belonged to Ontario Province. Im glad you made this comment. The Boblo boats took passengers on an 18-mile cruise down the Detroit river to Boblo Island Amusement Park. why did boblo island close. There's a white sand beach, walking trails, water sports, a waterside restaurant, an ice cream parlor and an in-ground pool. Neither will my grandchildren. The first amusement park rides were moving by 1910. The park has been closed since 1993, but the legend of Boblo is still strong. A woman leans against the fence in the foreground to take a picture of the ride. The 18-mile boat ride was carried out by the famous ships: the Columbia, built in 1902, and the Ste. For more than 85 years, the Boblo Island Amusement Park was famous for being served by the Steamer Ste Claire and the Steamer Columbia excursion boats that could hold about 2,500 passengers each. The remnants of Boblo Island Amusement Park: Most people just drive their vehicles onto the ferry from Amherstburg and are home in a few minutes. The non-French residents called it Boblo, and the name was officially accepted in 1949. I just would like to see whats there and for my family to share it with me. How to rent hobbit-type MUSHROOM HOUSES in Northern Michigan, Haunting insides of the abandoned NORTHVILLE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL, See Michigan's only ALPINE MOUNTAIN SLIDE, 1,700 feet of fun, Inside Michigan's OLDEST OPERATING INN built in 1835, This may be the MOST PICTURESQUE spot in Michigan, Inside the SMITHSONIAN OF MAGIC, located in Michigan, We explored WARREN DUNES, the Sleeping Bear of Southwest MI, GoPro video riding MICHIGAN'S LONGEST ZIPLINE, Exploring Michigan's abandoned, haunted ELOISE ASYLUM, Country's LARGEST AUTO MUSEUM is in the middle of nowhere, Michigan. It's located in Amherstburg, Ontario. The first thing I did when I got back home was to search for a Bob-Lo Historical Society on the Internet. when was the last day of this park operated (i mean the last summur )when it was open for public for the last and until what day was the ferry or the steamer making trip, and can you visit it now. The name 'Boblo' came back recently after a massive fire destroyed an iconic ferry that used to take people to and from the now closed island amusement park. For more excitement there was the Whip, Wild Mouse, Tilt-a-Whirl, and Dodgeem Cars. There are no hotels. Not a single lot was sold between 9/11 and May 2004. Only one blockhouse remains today. After coming aboard, visitors could look down from the main deck into the engine room, where powerful shafts and cams slowly warmed up. Today, 24 years after the park was closed and 118 years after its grand opening, little remains as a reminder of the islands history. The last screams of joy could be heard from the little island of fun 25 years ago as the Cedar Point of Michigan closed for the final time. The island is now a residential community. As well as some great stories, it includes some good photographs from all of the islands incarnations! A tennis court sits next to a home on the island. The name of the island was changed to Boblo in 1929 when visitors had problems correctly pronouncing the original French name. Smudged by the past, we nevertheless feel a redemptive twinge in the final aerial shot as Dr. Kattoo hoists the flag over Claire's mended hull. A shack which held dynamite used for dredging the near-by channel was fired into by a group of boys out hunting or fishing. The ship, docked at Riverside Marina on the Detroit River, caught fire after 11 a.m. on. From the U.S. (departing from Detroit) your routeto the ferry would looklike this: The ferry boat captain had to take the Detroit Rivers strong current into consideration in maneuvering the ferry boat to the dock. Families need to be brought back together and enjoy their children once again. The only other way to get to the island is to dock a private boat. Following the war, British forces garrisoned at Fort Malden in Amherstburg, across the river from Bois Blanc, and strengthened their position by building three blockhouses on the island. Instead, the island and steamships were purchased by the Browning family. It's a place for those looking to surround themselves with nature, including the more than 50 different species of birds. Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Bob-Lo Excursion Company and the 50 years of Canadian-American use of Bob-Lo Island as an International recreation area. Each year the largest gathering was sponsored by the St. Andrews Society of Detroit, which would often draw more than 10,000 visitors to their Scottish Games. I agree. Second case of COVID-19 confirmed in Windsor-Essex City of Windsor declares state of emergency, Devonshire and Tecumseh malls to close Boblo Island residential development plan moving forward. Not fair to blame millionaires when often it is a corporation that can run out money after 5 or 6 bad years. The dance pavilion built in 1913 was the largest in North America until 1925. - Mellissa M. Sources: BobloSteamers.com, Water Winter Wonderland. Our world today, especially with the pandemic, needs what we all once had back in this society. [19] He vaguely proposed a casino, hotel, and other development. An incident in 1902 caused a man-made mini earthquake on the island. Or for the Lavatory building next to it, built to match the other stone buildings on the island. The Bois Blanc Lighthouse built in 1836; its lamp room was destroyed in 1954 when vandals started a fire. It is a wonderful place with beautiful heritage and history, that is why I chose to live here. This is the remnants of an old putt-putt golf course. He was 20 years older than me. The little that remains of the park is covered with vegetation or has been demolished. ), Thank you so much for the great information. One cant imagine a happy centennial celebration for this historic building . Built in the early 1900s, the SS Columbia and SS Ste. The fire could not be contained and destroyed the historic mahogany woodwork and upper decks. The living space of the Deerview twin villas. Departing from the foot of Woodward Avenue, whereHart Plazais now, theColumbiaandSte. I do hope that someone will come along and restore the park back to its prime, so we can get families and the community back together again, and we can share our memories with the generations to come. Although there was a bike rental business near the marina and Beach House Restaurant on the west side of the island (the ferry dock is on the east side of the island), it was not open for business on the beautiful summer weekend day I was there, so I wouldnt count on being able to rent a bike on the island. The best time was 8 hours and 42 minutes turned in by 17-year old Dorothy de Caussin and 15-year old Ida Mutnick, both of Detroit. They are 1,405 square feet with a full basement. Boblo Island was an amusement park that was at one time larger than Cedar Point. In 1958 the island was the site of joint Canadian-American war games, addressing a hostile force presence with amphibious units from around the Great Lakes. For the people who bought property thereyou bought land that was so important to the neighboring cities and had brought so many families together. Review. An old silent family home movie of a trip to Boblo Island Amusement Park, no longer existing. The only access was via one of two ferries from Detroit or Amherstburg, the SS Ste. He wore a variety of colorful clothing, including a large hat with 'Captain Bob Lo' on the peak, and was typically equipped with binoculars for navigation purposes. Why did Boblo Island close? The ferry runs every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. These steamers could carry more than 2,000 passengers from Detroit to the island. . . (From 2018: Old Boblo Island boat catches fire at Detroit marina), BOBLO BOAT TOUR: Take a video tour of the historic boat that traveled the Detroit River for 81 years. The Ste. Please dont judge us without knowing us! Quite disappointing that we never went back, management was doing a terrible job. The man that made it did it to bring families together and spend time with their children. The restaurant is open to residents and visitors Thursday through Sunday. You can still see the words "Boblo Island" on the Space Needle, 25 years after the park's closing. The island features many new homes and plenty of land to build on. Once built, the dance hall was the second largest in the world, able to accommodate no less than 5,000 dancers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Detroit Publishing Co via the Library of Congress, This appears to be the SS Columbia Boblo Boat, which was built in 1902, Ferry dock on Boblo Island - between 1890 and 1901. More waterfront dining. Boblo Island Timeline from the Detroit News, "Bob-Lo Excursion Co. v. Michigan, 333 U.S. 28 (1948)", "Boblo amusement park purchased by U.S. firm", "Park yours for $9 million: Owner says sellany development OK", "Boblo remains viable business, observer says", "Boblo Island gets no nibbles, no takers, says realtor", "Bad news rains on financially troubled Boblo", "Michigan investors unlikely to appeal Boblo ownership", "Boblo tradition seems safer with Seattle owner", "Dance band on the Titanic: Boblo's last tangle", "Former Boblo partner sues ex-partners over sale", "Boblo's roller-coaster saga ends: Piece by historic piece, popular park dismantled", "Boblo's heyday not forgotten: New owner has ties to area", "New Boblo owner offers few details to packed house", "Boblo Island to get 52-home development", "Oram outlines plans for Boblo Island's condominium project", "Boblo in receivership: Island awash in $19M in red ink", "Boblo adrift in red ink: Receiver KPMG finds no money left", "Boblo rising from the dust: New ownership infuses elite island community with optimism", "Amherstburg reminisces after Boblo Island tower demolished", Boblo Island Dance Hall Story from the Detroit News, "Detroit Free Press: Former Boblo Island music machine may draw up to $2.5 million at auction", "Boblo Island then and now: See historic photos and amusement park remains", "Boblo Island boat owners hopeful for restoring of damaged boat", Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive: Boblo Island (Ontario), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Boblo_Island_Amusement_Park&oldid=1114994535, Tourist attractions in Essex County, Ontario, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 9 October 2022, at 09:00. Its amusement rides were sold in 1994. Over the roughly two-and-a-half decades that have passed since the closure, many of the most telltale signs of the park have faded away, including the ultra spooky-looking ferry boats that used to. Every home on the island is just steps away from the water. The last day of "Oldies Week" is today (at least for now), and the response from the Woody Boater community was fantastic. I worked on the Boats in 1980. Unclaimed. Just read one of the many postcards you can find online from people back in the day. What Occupation Did The Boblo Boat Workers Have? There is a dock at the restaurant on the island, Sue. I can still feel the sun and the wind as one of the great boats took us to the Island. http://bit.ly/2cIo6Ny. Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale YouTube Channel The park closed in 1993 as a result of poor management and attendance was shrinking because of other parks like Cedar Point. In this respect, today, Bob-Lo Island appears a bead broken off from the strand, adrift in more than just the Detroi River, its historic integrity drowned in the current of a sequence of ill-fated development schemes. The subdivision consists of a loop of a street containing a court within the loop. washington county, maine death records 0. why did boblo island close. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Boats are docked in the Boblo Island Marina, located on the western shore of the island. Thank you again for the information. Technically speaking, the island was a part of Canada (Bois Blanc Island, Ontario to be exact) but was just a short ferry ride up the Detroit River from the city of Detroit. [10], With no buyers materializing, Norton Auctioneers of Coldwater, Michigan, was retained to sell the property at auction on February 10, 1993. Id built up this image of perfectly cut green grass, flowers, water slides and party halls, but what I saw when I stepped onto the old white dock was far from the oasis I was told about. Bob-Lo Island Beach House Restaurant Visiters to the marina can visit the small gallery of photographs and paintings of water scenes or rent bikes to explore the island (although what appeared to be the bike rental building was closed on this July Saturday, so perhaps not). Twin villa homes on the north end of the island. Boblo closed for good in September 1993. Visitors could travel between rides and attractions using a mini railroad. One of the three original blockhouses still stands on the southern end of the island. 2022-09-26. The park, which. British troops captured 60 people and built three log blockhouses to defend the island. The boat would stop there to take people to the island for the day. - Marva, I am 63 years old and I remember Bob-lo so well. Gone are the roller coasters, but there are plenty of haunting remnants from Boblo Island Amusement Park, which delivered thrills and family fun from 1898 to September 30, 1993. When you disembark from the ferry, youfindyourself adjacent to a private very well-to-do residential area. The passageway still exists showing Gilbraltar, Michigan to the left and Amherstburg, Ontario to the right. We need to preserve what we have left, just for historys sake. The reasons for its closure were numerous, ranging from rising maintenance costs and poor management to stronger competition from the nearby, more attractive Cedar Point Park. St. [26] KPMG found there was no money left to continue supplying basic services. Suddenly, without any warning, there was a relatively large mammal in the middle of the trail, directly in the line of my front bike tire. By Edward Pevos of MLive - epevos@MLive.com. Between my concerns for the submerged rocks of the river and the mortar of history I was climbing over, I thought, what a wonderful place this island would be to explore if you were a kid or teenager and what a nightmare it poses for parents or grandparents of those explorers! These are some of the many doors leading to the inside of the old Dance Hall. Find useful information, the address and the phone number of the local business you are looking for. We were participating in a totally sanctioned, transportation-provided-by-the-school-district Ninth-Grade Skip Day. We would have boarded either the Ste. what a fun and exciting place. [16] Moodenbaugh later sued Benaroya and others for attempting to sell the park while he lay in a "virtual coma". Rule 2 does not apply when replying to this stickied comment.. Rule 2 does apply throughout the rest of this thread.. 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